WEBINAR: ADAPTING
YOUR ADVOCACY TO
COVID-19 HEALTH CRISIS
BY ELYNN WALTER AND EVITA ROZENBERG
IRC, LEARNING TRAJECTORY ON ADVOCACY

Welcome and introduction
Adapting your advocacy to COVID-19 health crisis
Webinar by Learning Trajectory on advocacy
Creating a successful webinar
experience:
• Mute yourself and turn off
webcam, except when speaking
• If you have a question, write it in
the chat box or wait until the Q&A
and open discussion
• Actively participate to discussions
– every experience is unique and
equally important!
Please write your name, organization and country in the chat box

Welcome and introduction
Adapting your advocacy to COVID-19 health crisis
Webinar by Learning Trajectory on advocacy
Objectives of the webinar
To discuss and learn:
• ways to adapt advocacy
approaches in time of COVID-19
• practical examples of shifting
activities at national and local
levels
• ways to reach your target audience
while social distancing
• ways to adapt your messaging,
keeping Watershed priorities
through the lens of COVID-19

Welcome and introduction
Adapting your advocacy to COVID-19 health crisis
Webinar by Learning Trajectory on advocacy
Webinaroutline
Presentations
• Setting the scene – Evita Rozenberg
(IRC)
• Experience from Bangladesh –
Ranjan Kumar Ghose (WaterAid
Bangladesh)
• Experience from Kenya– Patrick
Mwanzia (Simavi Kenya)
Q&A and discussion

Adapting your advocacy to COVID-19 health crisis
Webinar by Learning Trajectory on advocacy
Why is strong advocacy essential during a crisis?
Watershed Policy Influencing Learning Trajectory
Evita Rozenberg (IRC)

Adapting your advocacy to COVID-19 health crisis
Webinar by Learning Trajectory on advocacy
Definitions
Advocacy.Wide range of activities that are conducted to influence decision-
makers at different levels to combat the structural causes of poverty and
injustice.
Tactics. Means to achieve advocacy goal and objectives such as lobbying,
campaigns, policy papers, reports, manifests, etc.
Advocacyapproaches/ tactics of civil society can be to 1. organise and mobilise
constituencies, 2. raise awareness, 3. shape public opinion, and 4. engage with
decision-makers to influence key policies.
Advocacystrategy. A document supported by a process to identify advocacy
goals, objectives, activities and messages to address policy and budget
problems.
Setting the scene

Adapting your advocacy to COVID-19 health crisis
Webinar by Learning Trajectory on advocacy
Direct effects/ challenges of COVID-19 on advocacy
1. Pre-pandemic messaging may no longer be appropriate and/or appear
insensitive.
2. A shift in political focus to deal with the crisis may not align with your
original advocacy objectives.
3. NGOs and CSOs are facing physical restrictions which make lobby, advocacy
or other awareness-raising activities challenging.
4. In places where there are less restrictions on movement (ex: rural areas),
individuals delivering key hygiene messages can be in danger of contracting
COVID-19
5. High-level decision-making is happening quickly and often without
consultation of civil society, understandable in a pandemic but can have
consequences for marginalised populations.
Setting the scene

Adapting your advocacy to COVID-19 health crisis
Webinar by Learning Trajectory on advocacy
Opportunityfor advocacywith COVID-19
Setting the scene
• WASH integral part of health response and first
line of defense,
• Use momentum or ‘policy window’
• Be opportunistic!

Adapting your advocacy to COVID-19 health crisis
Webinar by Learning Trajectory on advocacy
1
Promotionof accurateinformation andawareness-raising for good
WASHpractices among citizens, governments officials andall other
stakeholders.
Roles of civil society and NGOs during COVID-19

Adapting your advocacy to COVID-19 health crisis
Webinar by Learning Trajectory on advocacy
2
Advising andholding national andlocal governments accountable
on policies andlegislationby using available accountability
mechanisms.
Roles of civil society and NGOs during COVID-19

Adapting your advocacy to COVID-19 health crisis
Webinar by Learning Trajectory on advocacy
3 Supporting andseeking partnerships with other CSOs, NGOs and
media inholding governments accountable.
Roles of civil society and NGOs during COVID-19

Adapting your advocacy to COVID-19 health crisis
Webinar by Learning Trajectory on advocacy
4 Ensuring no one is left behindandlong-term systemic solutions
are inplace for the most marginalizedin emergencyresponse.
Roles of civil society and NGOs during COVID-19

Adapting your advocacy to COVID-19 health crisis
Webinar by Learning Trajectory on advocacy
Adaptingadvocacy approaches in Bangladesh
Ranjan Kumar Ghose (WaterAid Bangladesh)

Ranjan Kumar Ghose, WaterAid Bangladesh
15 April 2020
Watershed Bangladesh
Adapting Advocacy Approaches
during COVID 19 Outbreak

The first positive case identified on 8 March
2020. Till then, as of today, 15 April 2020
- total positive cases – 1231
- total death – 50
- total test conducted – 14,868
• Govt declared public holiday, close of offices,
public transports up to 25 April 2020
• Community level transmissionstarted -total
27 districts been now lockdown

16
Increasing trend of COVID19 positivecases
As per IEDCR, as of today, 15 April 2020
- total positive cases – 1231
- total death – 50
- total test conducted – 14,868

17
Key focus on promoting
handwashing practice
• HW practice, steps, critical
time
• Do’s and Don’ts (Details)
• Personal and work place safety
(Details)
• What to know and
• What to share (Details)

19
Actions for Adapting Advocacy Approaches during
COVID 19 Outbreak
• Internal discussion at WaterAid level (Corocan Action Committee –
CAC and Coronal Response Committee - CRC formed)
• Discussion among in-country parthers (DORP, WaterAid), Key actors
and WASH Networks and in-depth analysis of the Covid-19 crisis and
future implication of the crisis
• Urgent call among Watershed consortium (Simavi, IRC, Akvo, WISA,
GWA-B,DORP and WaterAid) to adapt planned activities with
existing situation
• Advocacy update call with IRC (Elynn and Evita) and review status
• Focus on online actions (i.e. Pro-poor strategy finalization work)

20
Actions for Adapting Advocacy Approaches during
COVID 19 Outbreak
• Adapting advocacy actions focusing actions against
COVID 19 response
• At national level involve with different forumas one of
the core members including WASH Cluster meetings,
Unicef’s Need Assessment Working Group (NAWG) on
conducting situation analysis on COVID19.
• Regular basis updating of the progress

▪ Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS)
▪ Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR)
▪ Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention
▪ Local Government Division (LGD)
▪ Policy Support Branch (PSB)
▪ Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE)
▪ Water Supply & Sewerage Authority (WASA)
▪ Local Government Institutions (Union, Municipality, Upazila and District etc)

22

23

Meeting with the Minister,
Local Government Rural
Developmentand Cooperatives
(LGRD&C) and Mayorsand
other key stakeholdersto
decide how to coordinate
interventionsat slums and low-
income communities jointly
Meeting with
IEDCR Director,
Prof. Flora at
IEDCR
DPHE Circularon Corona virus
awareness and response

25

26

Thank you!
27

Adapting your advocacy to COVID-19 health crisis
Webinar by Learning Trajectory on advocacy
Adapting advocacy approaches in Kenya
Patrick Mwanzia (Simavi Kenya)

Watershed Kenya Programme
Adapting Kenya L&A Work during COVID – 19 Period
Patrick Mwanzia, WP 2 Programme Lead (Simavi)

COVID – 19 Pandemic in Kenya
Highlights of CoronaVirus Disease 2019 (COVID- 19) in Kenya
– First case confirmed on 13/03/2020
– Confirmed cases 216; Deceased 09 and recovered 41
– Total contacts monitored 2,331
– Total discharged 1,729
– Total being followed 602
– 19/47 County regions affected (Watershed focus areas included)
– Curfew 7.00 pm to 5.00 am daily countrywide
– Entry to /fro Nairobi, Mombasa, Kilifi & Kwale Counties forbidden
Source: Kenya Ministry of Health (http://www.health.go.ke/home/);

Adapting L&AWork in Kenya
Adaptations in response to strict national gov’t COVID – 19
preventive measures countrywide.
1.Wottazela interactive live radio shows (April – June 2020)
- Focus entire Kajiado County
- Citizens free SMS feedback targeted in 4 poll questions
- Water access poll quiz aligned to COVID – 19 pandemic
- Citizens views to be used as evidence in L&A messaging
- 2 local radio stations engaged (Nosim FM and Bus Media)
- Trac FM from Uganda providing technical support
- Simavi coordinates the exercise with WP 2 partners

Adapting L&AWork in Kenya Cont’d
2. Use of online communication tools
- Mobile Phone, Zoom,Whatsapp,Teleconferencing calls
- Used for internal & external engagement sessions
- Externalsessions with gov’t dep’ts and CSOs
- Citizens’ Zoom forums targeted to raise their COVID – 19
issues affecting them with WASH lens among others
- Watershed’s lobby messaging memorandumto gov’t next
- Our firstTeleconference call failed – why?Tool Ltd users!
- Still exploring other online Comms tools - e.g. Lifesize –
up to 6 months & 25 pax free https://www.lifesize.com/

Adapting L&AWork in Kenya Cont’d
3.COVID – 19 CSOs Emergency ResponsiveVoice
- Held CSOs & County Public Health dep’ts Zoom sessions on
COVID – 19 impacts via Zoom calls. Assessing L&A issues
- NIA now convenesWASH/WRM oriented CSOs lobby voice on
COVID – 19 specifIc responsive issues in Kajiado (Human rights
to water & sanitation, social inclusivity, vulnerable groups …..)
- One CSO included at top Kajiado CountyCOVID - 19
EmergencyResponse Committee decision making floor
- Watershed positioning similar approach in Laikipia

Adapting L&AWork in Kenya Cont’d
4. Kenya Public Health COVID – 19 Rules 2020
- Early April 2020, Watershed provided inputs to Civil Society
Coalition Memorandum on Public Health Act (prevention, control
and suppression of COVID-19) regulations, 2020.
- Taking advantage of decision maker (Attorney General Office)
call for inputs on COVID - 19 crisis to formulate the rules.
5. Watershed Mesaging response to COVID – 19
- Programme been assessing County emergency response plans
- Follow up with appropriate lobby messaging esp on human right to
water access, vulnerable groups matters, info access for all …………

Adapting your advocacy to COVID-19 health crisis
Webinar by Learning Trajectory on advocacy
Questions andAnswerson thePresentations

Adapting your advocacy to COVID-19 health crisis
Webinar by Learning Trajectory on advocacy
Opendiscussionandbrainstorm:
1. How are you adapting your advocacy
approaches in time of the pandemic
(practical ways to shift activities and
new/different approaches)?
2. How are you reaching your target audience
while social distancing?
3. How are you adapting your messaging,
keeping Watershed priorities through the
lens of COVID-19?
4. Other questions that occur?

Adapting your advocacy to COVID-19 health crisis
Webinar by Learning Trajectory on advocacy
Recommendations andconclusion
Some of the recommendations…
1. Adaptadvocacy strategy byadjusting tactics and messaging,
2. Be opportunistic,reach out to government officials and organize online campaigns.
For example on behavioural change (handwashing, social distancing, solidarity),
3. Monitor decision-making of government – is there a focus on leaving no one behind,
4. Ensure COVID-19 emergencyplanning includes a systemic WASHapproach and
investments in handwashing in health facilities,
5. Ensure that existing WASH services are not discontinued (safe water that struggling
utilities have the funds available to continue the services,
6. Ensure that WASH services reach the marginalized and rural areas,
7. Ensure ‘do no harm’ and social distancing in reaching most marginalized.
8. More…

Adapting your advocacy to COVID-19 health crisis
Webinar by Learning Trajectory on advocacy
Thankyoufor joining, stay healthyandtake care!